East Sussex · Extract fan repair and replacement
Extract fan repair and replacement in South Malling, East Sussex
Need extract fan repair in South Malling? We survey first, give you a fixed quote and work around your opening hours, finishing with a written report and photos.
- A failed fan that needs a replacement
- A fan shaking on its mountings
- An extract fan that rattles or knocks
About our extract fan repair in South Malling
Before anything is ordered, we diagnose. We look at the motor, the belts or direct drive, the impeller and the mountings and the speed control too. Then you’re given a fixed quote for the repair or the replacement. The work covers belts and pulleys, kitchen extract fans and bearings, and common reasons people get in touch are a worn or slipping fan belt and a humming noise from the fan motor.
Around a place like South Malling, a pub, café or care home kitchen with a failed fan can’t carry on cooking as normal. Our 24/7 emergency line is there for exactly that.
Duct Doctor has been trading since 2009, as a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 are in place too, and we carry full insurance.
- Location
- South Malling (BN7, BN8)
- Wider area
- East Sussex
- Paperwork
- Written report with pictures
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Aftercare tips
To keep the system working properly between visits:
- Do not cook with gaps in the filter bank
- Book regular TR19 cleaning, which includes the fan
- Make sure staff know who to call if the fan fails
- Clean or change filters on schedule
If parts have to be ordered, we tell you how the kitchen can carry on in the meantime. We then come back and fit them outside your busiest hours.
Noise is usually the first sign of a fan problem. Getting it checked now means a planned repair instead of a breakdown at the worst moment.
Different parts, different methods
Motors and bearings
If the motor runs hot or keeps tripping, something’s wrong. The cause might be grease restricting the airflow, or the motor itself may be failing.
Roof and wall-mounted fans
Fans are often mounted on roofs or external walls. Access affects how long a repair takes and we plan around it.
What staff can safely do
Staff cleaning doesn’t replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but the parts you cannot see still need a specialist at the right interval.
Some jobs should never be done in-house: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease call for the right kit, training and safe access. That is our job.
How it works
Before we leave, we walk the area with whoever is on site. We point out anything that couldn’t be reached or needs a follow-up, and it goes on the report too. The visit takes anything from an hour or two to a full visit, depending on the fault. In a smaller place like South Malling, parking is rarely the issue, but tell us about gates, roof access and opening hours.
- We take details of the symptoms and book a time that suits the kitchen.
- We isolate the fan before touching it.
- We diagnose the fault, checking the controls as well as the fan.
- You get a fixed price for putting it right.
- We fix the fault and run the fan to check it.
Before we arrive
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Mention any sign-in, permit or induction we need
Getting a quote
Here’s what helps us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, pictures of the system and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Once you have those, call 0345 646 2711, or send details by email.
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When a fan fails in South Malling
Food Standards Agency records list about 50 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 13 takeaways and sandwich shops in and around South Malling, up to about a mile and a half out. A kitchen with a dead extract fan gets hot and smoky fast, and kitchens like these feel it at once. In South Malling, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Lewes council. Food premises are expected to have suitable and sufficient ventilation under food hygiene rules. A kitchen without a working fan has a problem to fix quickly. At about 43 miles from central London, South Malling sits well inside the area we cover. A survey and a fixed quote come first, then the visit at a time that suits you.
If you cook near Lewes station, long trading hours wear fan belts and bearings, so noise and vibration are worth reporting early. If you run a school kitchen, at a school such as South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School or nearby, a fan that is getting noisy is best repaired in the holidays before it fails in term.
South Malling is about 1 mile north-east of Lewes, in East Sussex. South Malling gets the same approach as every site we work on: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where needed and a written report with pictures. South Malling is one of 289 places in East Sussex where we work for extract fan repair. We also work in Brighton, about 7 miles from South Malling.
Every address in BN7 and BN8 is covered for extract fan repair, from busy streets to back roads. That includes premises on Lee Road, New Road and Mill Road and the roads around them. You will find South Malling on the A26 and A2029, which makes it straightforward for our technicians to reach for extract fan repair. Other places close to South Malling include Lewes (1 mile south-west), Cliffe (1 mile south-east), Southover (1 mile south), Hamsey (1 mile north) and Offham (1 mile north-west). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (14 miles south-east), Seaford (8 miles south-east), Hailsham (11 miles east), Crowborough (14 miles north-east), Uckfield (7 miles north-east) and Newhaven (6 miles south).
Around South Malling
We work in commercial kitchens and buildings around Elephant and Castle pub, Priory School and Railway Land and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Lewes station, roughly 0.7 miles south of the centre. Nearby you will also find Lewes Victoria Hospital (0.8 miles south-west) and Lewes Castle (0.5 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include Malling Down and Cliffe Hill.
How we price extract fan repair
There’s no set price list, because sites vary so much. The quote depends on:
- Working hours and out-of-hours timing
- How big the system is
- Access, including roofs, risers and ceiling voids
- What state the system is in
What you pay depends on how big the system is, the condition it’s in and access to every part of it. You get a fixed price before we start, so you know where you stand.
What to send for a quote
There’s no need for technical detail. It helps if you can send:
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- Any access panels or hatches you can see
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- Your last certificate, test record or report
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: the system from a couple of angles, plus any access panels or hatches. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
For landlords and multi-site operators
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
For anyone managing more than one site, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so records stay tidy.
More services for South Malling
South Malling questions
Do you work at weekends in South Malling?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. Your customers, staff or residents in South Malling needn’t be disturbed. Your opening times are the first thing we ask for.
Will you come out to South Malling?
Yes. South Malling is within the area we cover across London and the South East. A survey first, from pictures or a visit, means we arrive with the right kit.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No. TR19® is BESA’s specification, not legislation. The law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which makes the responsible person assess and reduce fire risk, and cleaning to TR19® is the recognised way to show grease is under control.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes. Scheduled maintenance plans are part of what we do, set at the interval the system needs. The report from each visit recommends the next date.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. For anything urgent, such as a fan failure or damage after a fire, ring the 24/7 line and we will talk you through the next steps.
Will you fit a new fan if ours cannot be repaired?
We can. We fit replacement fans as well as repairing old ones, and we will explain the options.
Will you tell us when the next visit is due?
Yes. The recommended date is on the report. BESA’s minimum intervals for kitchen extracts range from 3-monthly for heavy use to 12-monthly for light use, while fire dampers are tested at least annually.
How long will the fan be out of action?
As a guide, it takes part of a day for most faults, with a return visit if parts have to be ordered. Where parts need ordering, we’ll explain the timescale.
Signs you need extract fan repair in South Malling
Over the years, mountings loosen and rubber mounts break down. Then every vibration is passed into the duct and the building and that’s a common source of rattles.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- An extract fan that rattles or knocks
- A squealing belt on start-up
- A humming noise from the fan motor
- A dead fan motor
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near Church of St Michael or elsewhere in South Malling, an extract fan that rarely runs can seize or fail when it’s needed.
Before booking anyone
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- Proof of insurance
- What’s included in the scope, part by part
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or pictures